President Trump’s administration took new steps Wednesday to increase pressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program.
The Treasury Department announced Wednesday new sanctions against three organizations based in China, Singapore, and Russia. The administration believes these entities are aiding North Korea with illicit shipments of goods and materials meant to bolster Pyongyang’s nuclear program and avoid internationally-imposed sanctions.
China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading Co. and its Singapore-based affiliate, SINSMS Pte. Ltd., are accused of using falsified shipping documents to export products to North Korea. Russian-based Profinet Ltd. is accused of providing fuel services to North Korean shipping vessels.
“Treasury will continue to implement existing sanctions on North Korea, and will take action to block and designate companies, ports, and vessels that facilitate illicit shipments and provide revenue streams to the DPRK,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement Wednesday. “The tactics that these entities based in China, Singapore, and Russia are using to attempt to evade sanctions are prohibited under U.S. law, and all facets of the shipping industry have a responsibility to abide by them or expose themselves to serious risks.”
The new sanctions effectively block any and all assets these entities have within the jurisdiction of the U.S. and explicitly bars Americans from doing business with them.
[John Bolton: North Korea failing to live up to commitment to denuclearize]
Trump’s administration is focused ensuring that North Korea stops and dismantles its nuclear weapons program. The North Korean regime has so far stymied negotiations with its insistence that there must first be an official declaration of the end of the Korean War before making good on its commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
The administration is increasingly frustrated with the lack of movement on the part of North Korea.
“We’re waiting for the North Koreans to begin the process of denuclearization, which they committed to in Singapore and which they’ve not yet done,” national security adviser John Bolton told CNN last week.
